Belief in the Assumption dates to the apostles.
The Church teaches that, at the end of her earthly life, Mary was assumed — taken up body and soul — into heaven.
1950
Pope Pius XII declared the dogma of the Assumption on Nov. 1, 1950.
“The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory,” he stated in Munificentissimus Deus (Defining the Dogma of the Assumption).
August 15
The feast has been celebrated in Rome’s Church of St. Mary Major since at least the sixth century, Catholic Encyclopedia explains. It is a Church solemnity, the highest liturgical rank of feast day.
Solemnity’s Name
By the eighth century, around the time of Pope Adrian, the Church began to change its terminology, renaming the feast day of the “Memorial of Mary” to the “Assumption of Mary,” according to EWTN News Vice President and Editorial Director Matthew Bunson.
In the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches, the solemnity is known as the “Dormition of the Theotokos,” meaning “the falling asleep of the Mother of God.”
Where Was Mary Assumed Into Heaven?
Jerusalem is the traditional location, close
